For the first 10 minutes of the Benedictine men’s NAIA National Championship opener Thursday night, the Ravens looked to be on the right track to pull off the biggest upsets the tournament had seen to that point.

But the Ravens’ hopes were quickly dashed, as The Masters University Mustangs showed why they were ranked eighth in the NAIA ending Benedictine’s season with an 85-56 win at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City.

The seventh-seed Ravens built their lead to as many as 12 in the first half, but The Masters quickly showed why they are currently sixth in the nation in scoring. The Mustangs hit seven 3-pointers the final 10 minutes of the half and not only erased a 12-point deficit but took a three point lead into the halftime break at 35-32.

The two teams traded baskets out of intermission, but once the Ravens tied things up at 39 the Mustangs went on a 27-8 run to put the game away.

The big number on the night came in the turnover department as the Ravens finished with 15 TO’s which led to 24 points for the Mustangs.

Benedictine was led in scoring by senior Andre Yates’ 27 points, and the Ravens wrapped up the season with an overall record of 21-11.

Benedictine: Andre Yates – 27, Connor Fleming – 11, Jake Schannuth – 9, Christian Hatterle – 7, Adam Kutney – 2.

The Masters: Reid Shackelford – 22, Lawerence Russell – 21, Timothy Soares – 12, Travis Yenor – 8, Delewis Johnson – 7, Keegan Scott – 5, Hansel Atencia – 4, Evan Jenkins – 4, Kaleb Anderson – 2.